Homeward Bound
by Winchesteralism
Summary: The dance back to 'ok' was a slow one. A slow, fumbling, uneven, back and forth rhythmless waltz that may just end with them returning to a common landing. And if all the cards are played right, they might even find themselves on higher ground. Sequel to "I Walk This Lonely Road." Or the story in which two years have passed yet nothing has changed for either.
1. Skinny Love

**Homeward Bound**

.

_And I told you to be patient_  
><em>And I told you to be fine<em>  
><em>And I told you to be balanced<em>  
><em>And I told you to be kind<em>

_And now all your love is wasted_  
><em>And then who the hell was I?<em>  
><em>And I'm breaking at the britches<em>  
><em>And at the end of all your lines<em>

**_._**

* * *

><p>OK GUYS IT'S OFFICIALLY A GO. THE SEQUEL TO <em>I WALK THIS LONELY ROAD.<em> IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IF I'D DEFINITELY GO READ IT NOW AND IF YOU HAVE I'D RE-READ IT SO EVERYTHING IS ALL BRAND SPANKIN FRESH IN YOUR BRAIN SO THIS WILL MAKE AS MUCH SENSE AS POSSIBLE.

I REALLY HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT.

SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO~ THE STORY.


	2. An Accordance

"Cas"

_Just don't, Sam. You said you'd respect my decision. Now please refrain from whatever it is you want to say so we can get started._

"Of course, Cas. I just-"

_Good. So you are prepared to relearn how to hunt with me, yes? Many things are going to be different and some things are going to be required of you that you are not used to._

"Dude I know. I've read your emails. And did my research. It's not going to be something I have a problem with."

And you are well versed in American Sign Language?

"I'm kind of talking to you right now."

Cas huffed out an annoyed breath.

_I am aware. Can you reproduce it should a situation be compromised and speech is not an option?_

_... Yes I can sign. Jess and I took a course at Stanford. It didn't take incredibly long for me to relearn it._

_Good. Then we have an agreement? Every so often you'll help me on a hunt?_

"Cas man, I've been trying to reach you for the better part of two years. I'll take what I can get."

Cas bowed his head.

_You promised in writing that we wouldn't address this-_

"Are you ever going to talk to him!?" Sam blurted out.

_SAM!_ Cas signed sporadically, clearly upset as seen through the quick jerky movements of his hands.

_What goes on between your brother and I is none of your concern. If it is to be an issue then you are not required to be here and are free to walk away. If that is not the case, there is a wendigo currently amassing quite the kill record in Maryland, and I would appreciate the help flushing it out. However, if you are unable to be of service due to the incompatibility of the arrangement I understand and will adapt accordingly. You knew the rules before we agreed to meet up. You best respect our terms and respect me._

"Sorry, man." Sam mumbled, clearly reprimanded. "I didn't mean to… whatever. Let's kill this thing before anyone else gets hurt."

A small half smile flitted across Cas' features- one that looked uneven and ill-fitting; almost like an old prosthetic. It appeared to Sam as if it hadn't been worn in a long time and no longer fit seamlessly or comfortably. The thought bugged him even more then he thought it would.

_Then we are in accordance_

* * *

><p>So some simple housekeeping. Whenever Cas talks; or really anyone signs, it's going to be in italics. I will do my very best to make it obvious who is talking if there is direct signing back and forth. If it is ever confusing~ hit me up so I can adjust they story so it makes more sense.<p>

SO WHAT DID YOU THINK? Where do you think this is going? Haha, I'd love to hear it. Until next time!

~Magnolia


	3. Silhouette

Dean sat impatiently, on the motel bed, drumming his fingers repeatedly against his knee. Sam skipped out three days ago to, "help one of Garth's contacts on a hunt" and would be back to meet up at the _Greenbury Motel_ on Thursday.

It was Thursday.

We'll call him an entitled but 2:30 in the morning in no shape form or fashion counted as morning. In fact- it didn't even count as Thursday anymore. It didn't help matters that the man-child wouldn't answer any of his phone call. Or really any of the seventeen.

Honestly, he felt pretty damn justified in his annoyance, especially as he was forced to play the role of the ditchable prom date in this crappy lifetime show.

When twenty minutes passed and nothing had changed; Dean resolutely set the stopwatch on his phone. Thirty minutes- he's give the overgrown moose thirty minutes to drag his sorry as through the door before he was calling Garth and demanding answers.

Seventeen minutes and forty-seven seconds into the ultimatum, a text pinged on his cell.

_[Samsquatch: Got caught up. Will be arriving within the hour.]_

Officially pissed _and_ annoyed, Dean opened his phone and jabbed the redial button. Waiting with rapidly diminishing patience, Dean practically vibrated with the amount of shit he was going to give his brother when he picked up.

The call continued to ring out.

Stand corrected. _If_ he picks up.

_ring….ring.,..ring…_

_[It's Sam. Leave me a message.]_

_[I'm sorry, your call has been forwarded to an automated voice message system, _Sam_, is not available. At the tone, please record your message. When you are finished, you can hang up- or press 'one' for more options.]_

'The little bitch!'

Snapping his phone shut, Dean was all set to send a message _clearly _stating how he felt about Sam when another text came through.

_[Samsquatch: Apologies. Can't call at the moment.]_

Dean felt the vein in his forehead throb (with righteous fury).

_[Dean: ?! Where the fuck have you been!?]_

Several minutes later- a text came through.

_[Samsquatch: I'll arrive shortly. I can address your concerns then.]_

_[Dean: Damn right we're talking when you get back… (And since when do you talk like you swallowed a dictionary, man? Nobody talks like that except- nobody talks like that.]_

Dean tossed his phone next to him on the bed and flopped back onto the mattress, doing his best to stifle his growing irritation so he wouldn't punch Sam on site.

* * *

><p>Awkwardly tossing the phone onto the passenger seat, Cas stared wide-eyed into the rearview mirror at Sam's unconscious form slumped in the back seat. It hadn't even been a challenging case; a simple poltergeist to take it easy after ganking the wendigo in Maryland, the werewolves in Kentucky, the incubus in Alabama, and the Rawhead in South Carolina.<p>

It had been easy too; an easy-to-find, easy-to-kill, easy to get to, old-fashioned salt and burn. It threw a few chairs around but that was about it. So it should have been obvious then that it all had to go downhill eventually.

As soon as Cas threw the match onto the hairbrush, the house shrieked and rattled, breaking every window and cracking the floor. As well as, as much to Cas' and later (once he wakes up), Sam's dismay; sent the overhanging chandelier crashing down.

"SAM!" Cas attempted to call out, for a moment forgetting himself and his…limitations. The soundless cry went no further than the walls in his own brain, and by the time Sam was alerted to the danger it was too late.

The hundred-something pound light fixture crashed solidly on top of him. Sam instantly buckled and collapsed unceremoniously onto the floor. Cas instantly shot up from where he was crouching and stumbled over to where Sam lay crumpled on the floor.

_~If a person has collapsed, determine if the person is unconscious. Gently prod the victim and shout, "Are you okay?" If there is no response, shout for help. Call 911 or your local emergency number.~_

Shoving the light fixture away, Cas repeatedly pressed Sam's shoulders and face, trying to wake him up. When he remained unresponsive, Cas' eyes widened in alarm, breaking through the hunter prose.

_People who become unconscious do not respond to loud sounds or shaking. They may even stop breathing or their pulse may become faint. This calls for immediate emergency attention. The sooner the person receives emergency first aid, the better his or her outlook will be._

A gash cut across Sam's forehead, stretching from the front of his eyebrow and curving down across his temple. Breathing slowly and trying to keep calm and reasonable, Cas looked around the room before landing on a pair of curtains. Quickly, he ran over to the fabric and ripped a strip of it off and tied it tightly around Sam's head, doing his best to put as much pressure on the wound as possible.

When Sam remained unresponsive, Cas' quickly flashed through every manual he's read on what the signs are and what he needs to do.

_Open the person's airway. Lift up the chin gently with one hand while pushing down on the forehead with the other to tilt the head back. (Do not try to open the airway using a jaw thrust for injured victims. Be sure to employ this head tilt-chin lift for all victims, even if the person is injured.)_

_If the person may have suffered a neck injury, in a diving or automobile accident, for example, open the airway using the chin-lift without tilting the head back. If the airway remains blocked, tilt the head slowly and gently until the airway is open._

Hastily, he pushed up Sam's neck and thrust two of his fingers against Sam's neck against his pulse point and started counting.

Once the airway is open, check to see if the person is breathing.

_Take five to 10 seconds (no more than 10 seconds) to verify normal breathing in an unconscious adult_

As Cas timed, he slowly started to relax somewhat when he found the beat to be continuously steady and unfaltering.

After a few more minutes of making sure he was stable, Cas stood up and set about the cumbrous task of lugging Sam's prone body through the house and fitting his leaden body into the back seat. Breathing heavily from exertion, Cas climbed into the front and eased the car out into the street before taking off down the road.

... ...

_Check again to see if the person is breathing, coughing, or moving. These are signs of positive circulation. If these signs are absent, start CPR until emergency personnel arrive._

Twenty minutes into the drive, Cas swerved onto the side of the road and checked Sam's vitals again. Statistics of cardiac arrest occurring lost after the initial trauma and presence of a pules ran through his head. When he found Sam's pulse to be the same as before, Cas huffed out a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to shut the door and climb back into the front, Cas turned around and fumbled in Sam's pockets before finding his phone. Once his fingers closed around the hard square, he quickly made his way back into the front seat and pulled back onto the road.

From there, he felt for the raised button and held down, powering the device back on. Once the screen lit up and reached the home screen, Cas immediately cringed at the medley of shrill notifications ringing through the enclosed space as a tribute to all the missed calls and unread texts. Gingerly lifting the device, Cas opened it up to view the menu. Cas' dismay continuously mounted as he scrolled through all seventeen of Dean's missed calls. With heightening trepidation, Cas worked his way through all the messages, each one more and more angry then the last. Finally, Cas reached the most recent of the texts and froze, reading Dean's threat to call Garth if 'Sam' didn't respond within half an hour. Knowing full well that Dean would follow through on that threat, Cas swallowed thickly and tried not to think of the consequences that would occur if that happened. He was more than aware that San was most certainly not helping a friend of Garth's, and that Sam would have a nigh impossible time of explaining his way out of it.

Cas' throat constricted, and very carefully he checked the time stamp on the message.

_[Ken Doll: Ok listen up. You have thirty minutes before I'm gonna have to go all recon on your ass and call Garth. Figure out your shit or this may get ugly.]_

_[Received: 15 min ago]_

Shakily, Cas released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and slowly typed out a response.

_[Sam: Got caught up. Will be arriving within the hour]_

After reading over the text, Cas sent if off and set the phone down on the chair across from him. Turning his full attention back to the wheel, Cas inched his foot down harder on the pedal and watched as the dial slowly increased on the speedometer.

Slowly, Cas started relaxing into the seat, feeling his limbs going thick and heavy from lack of sleep. Blinking rapidly, Cas rubbed his eyes and deliberately set his hands at 10 and 2.

Five seconds later, the phone lit up the darkened car and started to ring, sending curls of noise reverberating through the confined space of the car. Looking at the phone fearfully, it was all Cas could do to stare helplessly at the photo-id on the screen. It was unremarkable; really, a rather unflattering picture of Dean mid-bite in some diner- but there he was. Barely a screen touch away from being right there in the car with him. Shocked motionless, it was all he could do to keep the car from wavering out of the two lines. He took solace in the simple task, which was admittedly suddenly harder than it had been, while simultaneously trying to avoid an imminent breakdown.

The ringing was never ending, and Cas could feel a bead of sweat make its way down his spine and collect in a pool at the dip of his back.

Finally, in what had to have been years later, the ringing stopped.

Silence

Cas coughed violently, suddenly rebelling to the lack of oxygen that burned his lungs. Once he had recovered somewhat, Cas reached over into the passenger seat and took up the phone and composed a message.

_[Sam: Apologies. I can't call at the moment.]_

Before he could even set the phone down, a message came through.

_[Ken Doll: Where the fuck have you been!?]_

Cringing, Cas shot a look to the back begging for some kind of guidance from Sam. When none came forth, Cas gulped and sent out a cryptic-

_[Cas: I'll arrive shortly. I can address your concerns then.]_

Seconds later, Dean's reply flashed across the screen.

_[Ken Doll: Damn right we're talking when you get back… (And since when do you talk like you swallowed a dictionary, man? Nobody talks like that except- nobody talks like that.]_

Coughing awkwardly, Cas let the phone drop into his lap and focused on the road, not having a suitable response. Resolutely, he pressed harder on the gas and watched the world fly by.

... ...

Forty minutes later, Cas pulled into the darkened motel lot. Pulling into a spot in close to the entrance, he got out and opened the side door. Panicking slightly once he realized that there was no way Sam was going to spontaneously get up and be able to make it inside on his own like always. He didn't even know which motel room he was in. Growing frustrated, Cas lightly hit the side of his face and chest, willing Sam to respond.

Panicking over the ridiculousness and impossibility of the situation, Cas grabbed Sam's phone and with fumbling fingers scrolled through Sam's messages with Dean; praying for something that would tell him what room number to go to.

One of the texts was just as simple and cryptic as he would have hoped.

_[Ken Doll: GM 117]_

Glancing up at the dilapidated sign, Cas almost sobbed in relief when he confirmed the name, 'Greenbury Motel'. Hefting Sam up; Cas awkwardly made his way over to the door, stopping continuously to adjust his hold on the youngest Winchester and catch his breath. Finally, once he had Sam to the door of the room; he did his best to quietly lower Sam to the floor, not wanting to alert Dean to open the door prematurely.

Looking over at his friend one more time, Cas quickly ran back to the car to grab Sam's gear and placed it next to him on the ground. Deciding he would text Sam in the morning, Cas steeled himself before knocking heavily on the door thrice. One last time, Cas shot Sam a mournful glance before taking off down the parking lot to his car, not stopping until he was behind the wheel and pulling out of the lot; fighting the urge to look back.

Cas gave in, looking through the mirror to see a shadowed form leaning over the threshold to the room, one both hands firmly around his brother.

_Dean_

Dean was looking around the lot, swiveling his head around until his gaze latched on to Cas' dark car pulling away.

Cas felt as if the air was punched out of him and immediately averted his eyes and stepped on the gas; disappearing around the corner.

_Too close_

_That had been too close_

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><p><strong>yAY for plot progress, yes?<strong>

**edit: ff went nuts and deleted this chapter? Sorry for the re-upload**

**~Magnolia**


End file.
